NSK Ltd. history, profile and corporate video
NSK Ltd. engages in the manufacture and sale of bearings, automotive products, precision machinery and parts, and mechatronic products. It operates through the following segments: Industrial Machinery, Automotive, and Other. The Industrial Machinery segment produces and sells industrial machinery bearings, ball screws, and linear guides. The Automotive segment manufactures and sells bearings for car and automotive component manufacturers, steering columns, and automatic transmission components. The Other segment includes steel ball manufacturing and sales, machinery production, and systemized products such as photo-fabrication exposure equipment for liquid crystal panels. The company was founded on November 8, 1916 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.“
“NSK History
1916: Japan’s First Bearing Manufacturer
Bearings are one of the staples of industry. The origins of the Japanese bearing industry, which produced 3,190 million bearings in 2006, can be traced back to the completion of the first prototype by Nippon Seiko Limited Partnership Company in 1915. Full-scale production of the bearings needed to drive the development of the Japanese machinery industry commenced with the establishment of NSK Ltd. The photograph shows a drawing from the time of NSK’s earliest production, the starting point on the path that brought NSK to its present stage of development.
1918: The Year We Took to the Air
NSK has a long history of involvement in aviation. As early as 1918 we were supplying airframe bearings. In 1931 we became the first Japanese manufacturer of bearings for aircraft engines, and in 1945 we produced the first jet engine bearings to be made in Japan. By 1985 NSK was able to participate in a five-nation project, which produced products for the V2500 engine with manufacturers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Italy.
Today bearings, ball screws and linear guides manufactured by NSK look down on Earth from satellites and the International Space Station.
1948: Overseas Expansion
Wherever there are machines, there are bearings. Bearings based on common international standards are borderless products that can be used in machinery anywhere in the world. NSK began to export bearings in 1948, when Japan was still in the midst of postwar construction. Exporting would eventually lead to the establishment of sales companies and production operations outside Japan. NSK’s second overseas plant, in Suzano, Brazil, established in 1972, has contributed to Brazil’s industrial development as part of the local community for 35 years. Today NSK has 34 overseas plants in 12 countries.
From 1975 to the Present: Contributing to the Environment
NSK products help reduce energy loss. We regard environmental management as a key priority, and we have been working in this field since the establishment of our Environment Control Department in 1975. Our environmental efforts include the development of environment-friendly products, measures to combat global warming, zero-emission programs, distribution-related measures, and green procurement activities. We also provide environmental education to raise the environmental awareness of all employees. The NSK Group recognizes its responsibility to protect the environment.”
*Information from Forbes.com and Nsk.com
**Video published on YouTube by “NSKMotionAndControl“